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Can the Concept of Enlightenment Evolve?
Abstract
Those who claim the concept of enlightenment (nibānna) has not evolved must rest their claim on a strong distinction between changing and variant interpretations of the concept on the one hand, and what the term really means or refers to on the other. This paper examines whether all evolution of the concept of enlightenment is best seen as interpretive variation rather than as embodying real notional change—a change in the reference of the term. It is implausible to suppose that the enlightenment has not evolved, and also implausible to suppose that the notion of enlightenment is the same across various sects of Buddhism. Zen enlightenment is not the same as Theravada enlightenment. Two points of controversy about niba¯nna are discussed and Christian attitudes toward scripture are compared with those in Buddhism.
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The concept of enlightenment involves indirect and controversial statements according to Buddhist scriptures.
“Firstly, the concept of enlightenment involves indirect and controversial statements according to Buddhist scriptures (Levine 2003).”
From Enlightenment as a Psychological Construct and as a Buddhist Religious Pursuit: A Cross-cultural Understanding (2017) · cites this paper as Levine 2003
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Meng, L., & Boyd-Wilson, B. (2017) · Contemporary Buddhism · doi:10.1080/14639947.2017.1396049 · Cited by 3
Metadata
- Authors
- LEVINE, M. P.
- Corresponding author
- LEVINE, MICHAEL P.
- ORCID
- LEVINE, MICHAEL P.
- Venue
- Asian Philosophy
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2003-09
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 2-3
- Pages
- 115-129
- ISSN
- 0955-2367 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-2961
- OpenAlex
- W1981583538
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Asian Philosophy (publishedVersion)
- UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Indian and Buddhist Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Study and Philosophy of Religion
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
- Keywords
- Enlightenment, conceptual evolution, semantic change, reference change, Zen Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist sects, Buddhist scriptures
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